PCmover Enterprise

PCmover Enterprise
PCmover Enterprise, on the other hand, provides organizations with a way to
centrally control much of the PC migration process via policy. From a central
console, administrators can define and enforce migration policies that pinpoint
what can and cannot be transferred to new PCs, as well as customize the amount
of interaction that end users can have prior to the migration.

PCmover Enterprise comprises two elements: the PCmover Policy Manager and
the PCmover Client. With the former, administrators define multiple policies
that dictate (or exclude) the files, applications and settings targeted for
migration; enumerate which PCs are targeted for both ends of the migration; and
define which users can perform the migration. The PCmover Client, which
can be stored on a network share or distributed via removable storage, is the
engine that performs the actual migration. Analogous to PCmover Professional,
PCmover Client culls the files, applications and settings from the old machine
and then copies and installs that bolus of data to the new machine.

PCmover Policy Manager can be installed on a Windows server or workstation
in the network; the PCmover client just needs to be kept in a share accessible
to end users.
When installing PCmover Policy Manager, PCmover Enterprise automatically
creates an editable Master Policy file that will be used for every migration
action. Since this policy will apply globally to every migration, rules defined
within it should have broad application-for example, mapping the share where
reports will be saved or banning the transfer of certain music or video file
extensions disallowed per company policy. A secondary Session Policy file is
for rules that can be applied to specific migration actions.
Via policy, I found that I could dictate whether the migration would move
only files, or add settings or applications, as well. I could map network
shares, and I could dictate which existing local users and profiles got
migrated to the new computer. I could create exclusion lists of directories or
file extensions to bar from transfer, and I could granularly include or exclude
applications from transfer.
Unfortunately, the only way to dictate migration policy for applications is
to identify the application ID by hand or list the application name (which
would not be effective if trying to exclude migration of certain versions of
the same application).
I could also centrally dictate how a migration occurred-whether the transfer
was done directly over the network or via a direct USB
or LapLink cable connection between PCs, or whether the migration data got
saved to removable storage or a share for later deployment.
I could also set policies that defined which users or machines were allowed
to use the policy defined in the upgrade action-to limit who performed
migrations and which machines could be migrated. Unfortunately, this capability
isn't tied into Active Directory, so I couldn't leverage existing domain
security groups or Organizational Units within the policy. (I had to type in
login names instead.)
Via policy, I could also control the amount of interaction the users could
have throughout the data collection process. Administrators have the option to
granularly allow or deny users the right to override any of the default
collection rules defined in a policy.
I was impressed by this wealth of options and controls over the migration
process, but I found the Policy Manager a little hard to navigate. Once I'd
created the Master Policy and a few targeted Service Policies, it was difficult
to tell which policy I was working in at one time and easy to make changes to
the wrong policy. Existing policies are displayed in a Recent Policy pane in
the middle of the console, but the actual policy under edit is shown at the top
in the title bar. Instead of double clicking a policy to edit, I had to
highlight it and then click an indistinct Open Policy hyperlink down below.
With policies defined, I could define a migration pair using the New
Migration wizard. I enumerated the source and target computers, and defined
which Session Policy to use for the pair. I could also forgo the use of a
Session Policy, and either automatically apply default answers or prompt the
user for every bit of information. Given that every transfer pair needs to be
explicitly defined by repeating this step, and that each pair creates its own
policy item that shows up in the Recent Policy dialog, the tool may not scale
well visually or logistically to very large networks.
The PCmover Client can be run by the end user by e-mailing them a link to
the executable on a network share, or the client can be triggered via script or
by third-party enterprise software deployment tools.
IT administrators should be wary of LapLink's licensing and activation
processes when using PCmover Enterprise. Whenever the PCmover Client is run on
an originating host, the executable will take the proffered licensing data and
activate over the network by default. I found that if the data collection and
transfer doesn't take place for whatever reason, the activation still counts
against the license total. With the licensed activations consumed, PCmover
Client presents a license error that stops the migration process completely.
In the future, I'd like to see LapLink add license management reporting
tools to its enterprise console, especially as migration projects will stop
dead in their tracks if licenses get consumed faster than anticipated.
Senior Analyst Andrew Garcia can be reached at agarcia@eweekcom.

Andrew cut his teeth as a systems administrator at the University of California, learning the ins and outs of server migration, Windows desktop management, Unix and Novell administration. After a tour of duty as a team leader for PC Magazine's Labs, Andrew turned to system integration - providing network, server, and desktop consulting services for small businesses throughout the Bay Area. With eWEEK Labs since 2003, Andrew concentrates on wireless networking technologies while moonlighting with Microsoft Windows, mobile devices and management, and unified communications. He produces product reviews, technology analysis and opinion pieces for eWEEK.com, eWEEK magazine, and the Labs' Release Notes blog. Follow Andrew on Twitter at andrewrgarcia, or reach him by email at agarcia@eweek.com.